OHIO BOOSTING RIDE INSPECTIONS
Money means more safety checks at fairs and amusement parks.
— Two years after a COLUMBUS deadly accident at the Ohio State Fair, state officials are boosting amusement ride inspection fees, which will generate more money for safety inspections of roller coasters, tilt-a-whirls, bouncy houses and other equipment.
The fee increases are included in the state budget bill signed into law last week by Gov. Mike DeWine.
DeWine, who opens the 2019 Ohio State Fair on Wednesday, said he believes the rides are safe.
“We are going to do absolutely everything that we need to do to ensure people that when they put their child or grandchild on that ride it’s going to be safe. And it’s not just the State Fair. It’s every carnival ride that occur all over the state of Ohio with county fairs and festivals, etc,” DeWine said.
He added that he told his team that if they need more resources to make rides safe, “let us know. Safe is a priority. It’s an essential function of government.”
Two years ago, undetected corrosion on the Fire Ball thrill ride led to an accident that killed 18-year-old Columbus native Tyler
Jarrell and injured seven others.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture employs eight full-time ride inspectors to oversee more than 4,000 rides across the state, which is the same number of inspectors the state had in 2017. In 2006, the state licensed 2,780 rides, 51 go-kart tracks, 309 portable ride companies and 122 permanent facilities.
Ohio is home to two of the largest amusement parks in the country: Cedar Point and Kings Island. State inspectors cover those parks, as well as go-kart tracks, water parks, county fairs and inflatables such as giant slides and bouncy houses.
In 2017, the Fire Ball ride passed state inspections earlier in the day and was cleared to open to the public. Likewise, records show Amusements of America, the ride and attractions vendor at the fair, performed a daily inspection and maintenance check.
Later that evening, the gondola laden with passengers detached from the supporting sweep arm, according to an official at KMG, the ride manufacturer. Bystander video captured a disturbing, scary scene: the gondola swept down and then upward as seats broke away and passengers were flung off into the air.
State Agriculture Director Dorothy Pelanda said she has traveled with ODA’s inspectors and has no doubt that they are able to inspect all the rides within the state.
“I have a lot of confidence in our inspectors,” Pelanda said. “They have done a superb job.”
Pelanda added that the new state budget raises the funding for the ODA’s Division of Amusement Ride Safety & Fairs at her request, which would allow the department to increase the staff and lighten the workload for individual ride inspectors.
“My focus is on moving forward,” Pelanda said, “and to be very proactive about ride safety.”
In 2018, the State Fair opted to renew its long-time contract with Amusements of America but this year is switching to a new vendor, Talley Amusements.
Despite the switch in vendors, the fair’s contract remains the same. The state will share revenue with Talley amusements dependent on how much revenue the midway makes. Last year, the fair had a revenue of $1,664,356 with $948,683 of that revenue being owed to the vendor.
Attendance at the 2018 Ohio State Fair partially rebounded to 908,306 after 2017’s opening day tragedy dipped the fair’s attendance to 801,031.